The Army has offered to discharge a traumatized servicewoman who reported being raped by a fellow soldier if she drops her complaint against the alleged attacker, the woman told The Denver Post.
“‘In order for you to get out of the Army early, you need to drop the charges,”‘ military police officer Natalie Longee, 21, said she was told Friday by a commander. Longee, who reported being raped at Fort Hood, Texas, more than a year ago, said that since that time, she was deployed to Iraq for eight months without counseling and then forced to return to the same base, where she has repeatedly encountered her alleged rapist.
“I’ve had an anxiety attack every day since I’ve been back,” Longee said.
The Pentagon, as well as the commander and other members of Longee’s command, have declined to comment, saying the rape case is still pending.
The situation has provoked outrage from members of Congress who have pledged to investigate, as well as victim advocates who are concerned for her welfare.
The office of Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., has been “involved from the beginning, and been very active, and very aggressive, in fully investigating the allegations that she’s made,” Brownback spokesman Brian Hart said. “We want to make sure the Army is held accountable if any wrongdoing is found. We want to make sure she’s safe and getting the treatment she needs.”
Hart declined to discuss the specifics of what Brownback or his staff had done in the case.
The Miles Foundation, a Connecticut-based civilian victim advocacy organization, is questioning whether Fort Hood officials are taking the investigation seriously – and whether they are taking steps to ensure the Army specialist is safe from any further attacks.
“There seems to have been a serious lag time in conducting this investigation,” said Christine Hansen, the foundation’s executive director, who has assisted Longee in recent weeks. Fort Hood prosecutors have not filed charges.
If Longee were to be discharged but continue to pursue her complaint, military charges still could be filed against the man.
In the meantime, Longee says she has encountered her attacker on base several times.
“A huge issue is whether they (Fort Hood officials) are creating additional trauma for her,” said Hansen. “And if she is in the presence of seeing her attacker, the foremost issue is her safety. The military has an opportunity here to provide for her protection. That needs to occur.”
The Post first related Longee’s account in Nov. 26. Her story mirrors that of dozens of women The Post interviewed in a three-day series titled “Betrayal in the Ranks,” which ran earlier in November.
Pentagon officials declined to comment on Longee’s case other than to say her allegations are still under investigation. Spokeswoman Martha Rudd said the Army Chief of Staff office is aware of the case, but she did not elaborate.
Longee’s specific account is far from unusual, Hansen said. “We have heard of commands giving victims ‘options,”‘ she said. “We have heard of commands presenting victims with the option of leaving the service, which frequently leads to the command not pursuing disciplinary action.”
Longee said that although she does not want to drop the charges, she cannot handle the pressures of the situation anymore and wants out of the Army. “I’m tired of all this.”
